Recommended pay for social service jobs in S’pore up by 5% on average

SINGAPORE - The starting salaries for social workers and counsellors have risen by 3 per cent from $3,850 in 2025 to $3,970 in the latest pay guidelines for the social service sector.

On average, the recommended salaries for jobs in the sector rose by 5 per cent. Some roles saw larger increments of up to 15 per cent in the 2026 financial year, which starts from April and ends in March 2027.

The Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) and the National Council of Social Service (NCSS) released the latest pay benchmarks on April 1.

MSF said it has been updating pay guidelines annually for the sector, which has over 22,000 workers now, including social workers, counsellors, therapists, psychologists and nurses.

For example, the latest recommended pay for senior-level care staff is $4,470 a month, a 15 per cent increase from $3,890 in the 2025 guidelines. This refers to salaries at the reference point for care staff who are competent at their jobs, but not yet at their maximum salaries.

Care staff provide care assistance to seniors, persons with disabilities and other individuals, and organise activities for them, among other things.

For a senior principal therapist, the most senior rank among therapists, the starting wage in 2026 is $11,290, up 3 per cent from $10,960.

For centre managers, the recommended starting pay is $9,140 in 2026, up 4 per cent from $8,760 in 2025.

MSF encourages social service agencies (SSAs) to adjust their pay packages within the year so that their staff are paid according to the guidelines, which take effect on April 1.

While it is not mandatory for SSAs to follow the guidelines, about 80 per cent of employees in SSAs are paid the recommended salaries, the ministry told The Straits Times.

Since the last comprehensive review of salaries in 2023, MSF has been updating the pay guidelines to keep wages in the social service sector competitive vis-a-vis comparable roles in competing sectors.

Pay guidelines rose by an average of 8 per cent in the 2024 financial year, for example.

The move comes amid growing demand for manpower in the sector to address the demands of an ageing population, and new and more complex needs such as mental health and social isolation issues, said the MSF spokesperson.

In 2024, MSF said another 2,000 key social service professionals were needed over the next five years. These include social workers, therapists, counsellors, care staff and psychologists.

The ministry has also adjusted funding for programmes to enable SSAs that it funds to pay their staff according to the latest guidelines.

Since its 2023 financial year, MSF has set aside over $170 million to help SSAs running MSF-funded services to implement salary adjustments.

The ministry’s spokesperson said SSAs should also review and adjust their operational budgets so that they can sustainably meet operational needs.

Over the past three years, MSF and NCSS said they have worked with SSAs to help them adopt the guidelines progressively, and plan to step up such efforts in the next few years.

The SSAs interviewed said that they follow the guidelines, or it would be tough for them to attract or retain their staff.

Mr Asher Low, executive director of Limitless, an SSA that provides mental health services for youth, said: “We follow the guidelines as much as we can. It is also much easier to match the starting salaries, though the salaries at reference point can be quite high.”

One challenge faced by smaller organisations like Limitless, which has 31 employees, is that they have to increase the salaries of all staff to match the guidelines. This is despite the fact that not all, or even a few to none, of their programmes are funded by MSF.

It would be unfair to remunerate staff differently, whether they are running MSF-funded programmes or not, said Mr Low.

So the charity has to raise funds to cover higher salaries, which can be challenging, he said.

Mr Narasimman Tivasiha Mani, executive director of Impart, said the charity makes it a priority to follow the guidelines for junior staff and those with more experience. Impart, which supports youth facing adversity, has fewer than 20 employees.

The latest pay guidelines also mean that the salaries of management staff take a hit, as none of Impart’s programmes is funded by MSF, and fund raising has always been challenging.

Mr Narasimman said his pay is “way below” the recommended $12,680 for heads of agencies managing an organisation with a budget of less than $3 million a year.

Ms Ng Su-Ling, Care Corner Singapore’s director of people and organisation development, said the salary guidelines provide transparency on pay expectations and signal that the social sector is committed to fair and competitive salaries.

“They help to correct the perception that career pathways and progression in social services are limited,” she added.

Ms Ng said that Care Corner, which has more than 570 employees, has aligned its salary structure with the guidelines on a year-on-year basis. 

“While the guidelines are helpful, we recognise that base salary is only one component of overall remuneration. There is a risk that employees or job candidates may draw conclusions based solely on monthly salary figures, without considering the total annual compensation package, benefits, organisational culture, values alignment, and the nature of the role itself,” she said.

“A more holistic view is often needed to make fair assessments on pay parity.”